REGISTERED COMPANY NLMBER: 1494221 (England and Wale$) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 510670 LANCASTER AND DISTRICT FESTIVAL LIMITED REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 20?1 Foster & Co Lid Unil 16 Eastwa). Business Villaoe Olii'ers Place FuliA"ood Presion PR2 9WT LANCASTER A)D DISTRICT FESTIVAL LIMITF.D CONTEN'TS REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES IT06 STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES RESPONSIBILITIES REPORT OF INDEPENDENT EXAMtNER STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES BALANCE SHEET NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEmE￿s IOT013 DETAILED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES LA)L CASTER A￿D DISTRICT FESTIVAL LIMITED REPORT OF THE TRLSTEES FOR THE YEAR EThDED 31 MARCH 2021 The trnstees who are also directors of the charit) for the purFK>ses of the Companies Act 2006. present their report with the rinancial statements of the charitv for the j'ear ended i l March ?0? l. The trus￿e5 have adopted the provi5ion5 of th¢ Statements of Recomtnellded Practice (SORPI applicable to Chariites p￿parIng their accounts. REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS Registered Cornpan!. number 1494221 (England and Wales) Regist¢red Charity Number 510670 Registered Office The Siore>' Meetints House Lane Lan¢aster LAI ITH rrusteesl(Dirtetors) J Bell (Chair) J Hope N S Charle%worth WJG Swainson S M Argeni J Doherty O R Egdell-Page E R Crighton (Appointed 6 J￿lY 20?0) M J Lounds (Appointed 6 July 20?01 Cornpany S¢¢r¢tsry N S Charle%worth Accountgnts Foster & Co Ltd Unli 16 Easnvay Business Ifilla8e Olivers Place Fulwood jresion PR2 9wr SolicÉtor5 Ogleihorpe, Stunon & Gillibrand 16 Castle Park Lancaster LAI IYG The full natne of the Charity is Lancaster & District Femival Ltd. We operate uThd¢r the name of. and are hereafter referr¢d io as, 'Litfest'. Page I LAINCASTER AI%D Dis fRICT FESTIVAL LIMITED REPORI" OF THE TRI;STEES FOR THE YEAR EYDED 31 .MARCH 2021 0￿ECTIVEs AFID ACTIVITIES ObjectiTr'e5 and gclii'ities The objects for which the Company is ¢stablished ar¢ io promote, maintsin, improve and advance public educelion. appreciation and understanding of the Ans. Il'ith Wicular reference to literature. Litfest exists to develop. challenge and celebrate literdry excellence. and the organisaiional aitns are &5 ouilined ￿10￿. Organi5atRonal aims develop. challenge and celebrate litrrary ¢xcell¢n¢¢ through parti¢l￿]ve readtng and writing projects. b. be a regionally and naiionally significani organ1￿11￿n. achieve audience and readership for the promotion anti publication of writers. invest in the professional developmenr of w'riters. create opportunities for writers, in particular thi)s¢ rr0￿￿ t%e North IllesL and the sub region. f. broaden and enhance the education. appreciation and Lmderstandsng of liierarnre among writers and readets. und¢rpin the ambiiions sthied above ￿. being an anisticallv. operationally and fmancially robust organisation with etTective governance. op¢rate a¢ a ¢apacirJ which a]lows for opportunistic or reactive partnerships or projects to be developed and pursued. STRUCTURE AND GOVERNAP4CE Governing documeni The charity is controlled by its governing do¢umenL a deed oi tru5L and consttmtes a lirniied comwiy. limitrd by guarantee. as defined bv the Companies Acr ?(MJ6. Reeruitmetht and Appointment ol new trnstees The new trustees are appoint¢d b) the board ot Injstecs. The organisaiion seeks io recrnit tTU5tee5 with ski115 aptropriate to the chartiies objKtives and Organi￿10nd] requirements. Suitable candidates are invited ro ￿ard meetings prior to being voied anio the board. Induction and training of new trustees Newly elected irusiees are provided M'tth copies of the wrillen Constit￿10￿$ of the charity and a written copv of the airns and objective5 of the Charity- Organisation structure and hom. decision5 are made The Board of Trustees (Direciorsl meet evet? Ihree months. 'fhe board esthblishes small working parties as and when necessary io deal with particul￿ issues. W(Triking panie5 report back &0 the full meeiing5 of the board. The Fitwice Officer provides the .'nanagemer2T accounts to th¢ t¥)ard on 2 quarterly b&sis. tk¢isions are mad¢ with reference to the charity's aims knd objectives. Relationship with other groups, tbaritie5 and tndii'iduais Liifest receive core support annuall>' fn)m Lancaster CLIL Counchl and the Arts- Council. Public Benefit The Trustees hav¢ Complied with thetr dury under Se¢iiot2 17 (Sy of the Charities Aci 2011 io pa), due regard to the Charities Commission guidanc¢ eonccrning public ￿nefIt Én decidin¥ a￿1VIlle5 the chariry shoLld undenake. RISK MANAGEMENT The irnstee% have a duty io identiti. and reviem. th= risks 10 w'hich irie ch2rity is exrosed. A risk assegsmenl is carried out by the Trusiee5 each year, which identifies the major risks t-a¢ed bv ihe compan) and reviews th¢ systems and pnKedures in place to Tnanag¢ those risk5. LANCASTER A.ND DISTIUCT FESTIVAL LIMITED REPORT OF THE TRLSTF.ES FOR THE I'EAR El*DED 31 ￿L4RCH 2021 PERFORIMANCE MANAGEMENT In recognition of Litfesi's siaius as an organisation both led and njn b). volunteers. ￿e have developed robusr systerns io rnaximi5e e￿l¢lencY and to maintsin and improve our ongotng standards of d¢ltvm'. During the course of the coming year we will continue io reyised and uEyJate all operational sy5tetns and continue to develop praul￿5 and p)licie& which will include- An updared Equal Oprrf)rtLmities and Diversity. Poli¢y Grievance procedures and policies Health and Safeti. Poli¢}. Monitoring and evaluation sy￿¢M5 for all sthff. voluntttrs. audience& participants and stakeholders. Independently examined ￿counts EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES STATEMENT Equality of oppominiry is extremely imwrtant to all the work undenaken by Litfest. We value the diversity of individuals and do not discriminate on groun Accepted Accouniing Practice. Company law requires the ￿slee$ io prepare tinancial stsiements for each f￿ancial vear. L'nder thai law the trustees have elected to prepare ihe finon¢ial statetnents in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Ac¢ouniing P￿tIC¢ (United Kingdom Accouniing Standards applicable law). The fjnancial statements are required by law to give a true and fair view of the Sta￿ of aftairs of the charitable company and of its surplus or deficlt of the charitsble cornpany for thai period. In prep3ring those financha] statrments. the trustees are required to 5eleci suitable accounling ￿licieS and then apply them consistently. make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent: prepare the fjnancial ststements on the going concern b&si5 unless li is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in business. The trustees are responsible for keeping proper acctyJntin8 records which disclose with Teasonable accuracy at ally time (he financial position of the chan￿b]e company and io enable them to ensure that the financial statetnents comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the asseis of the charirable company and hence for tsking reasonable steps for ihe prevention and deteciion of fraud and other iTregularities. Page i LANCASTER A)D DISTRICT FESTIVAL LIMITED RF.PORT OF TIIE TRLSTEES FOR THF. YF.AR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021 CHAIRS OVERVIEW The 2020120? l annual report focuses on three main projecis and achievements. InternatlOn21 B(bok Club The big su¢cess story has been the online International Fietioft Ix)ok elub which began in ?020 as part of the 41. Fesiival and has continued throughout the year. Bill Sw'ainson one of our board membets coordinates this event onee a month via zoom ll) partnership with Lancasier University. This project has definitel}. resulted in providing Lirfest with an iniernational profjle on several levels; both in the author5 and titles chosen and the audiences That have been able to attract as the e￿ent is online every month. Summer progr8mtne The board applied for an Arts Council Recovery Grdlli tn the t-rn n)und l&si year and were awarded a grant of £7.889 which covered our costs and lost ticket sncome for the 20?0 festival. The grant ￿a5 itsed for three projects which are outlined below. We 'ere also successful in ob(ainll)g a grani from Lancaster City Council for £?.O(YJ. Walkittg Solo- PtyJca5ts by Polly Atkin and Jenn Ashworth launched on 1717r2020. We also launched an invitstion for peopl¢ io s¢nd us th¢ir own podcasts aboui their exp¢ri¢nc¢ of walking and w¢ had a number of entries. These were judeed by Beth Pipe. Karen Lloyd and J¢nnif¢r Dobson. The top three entries wer¢ feawred on our website during July. Nadine Kaadan- aciiviTh' vi15eos and stot)'ielling were provided by the brtlliant children's author and illustrdtor Nadine. These were ¢ommissioned as were the Fthcasts for Liifesi and rele￿ed on 31 Jul!. and throughout AugusL Nadine also made a recording of her 5torv The Jasmine Snere in Arabic lil is alr¢adN' available in Enolish). Nadine should have attended the fe%iival so ￿e are delighied ihai w.e ￿"tre able io showcase her work in this way. A New DiTr'8n: A lyric81 dialogue between east and west- An inteTtLational poety ptwjCa￿. presented by Paul Farley, ith 10 poems from around the H'orld in their orioinal language and in English, with the poems recorded at hotne by local writer5, readers and of the Asylum Seek¢r and Refugee community. Litfe5t 2021- The 42Ad F¢stiv81 Hot on the heels of delivering the summer programrne the board then focused on developing Litfest 2021. We understood we needed to be flexible in our plans and we discu&sed several opiions ￿ard1￿8 the delivery of the festival. We researched the way in which other fesiivals have been delivered over lh¢ pasi year and we feli we could deliver a greai festiwal thmugh a rnainly di8ltal offer bui allowing some scope for Very sn]all workshops. In the en¢ due to the I(￿kdown. the whole festival was delivered online using a platfor￿ called Crowdcasi. All the ¢vents were hosted by board members and supponed ieckntcalty by IM)ard members which was quiie a feat but one that we are proud tts have accomplished. Vlhil# Crowdtsst had some issu¢$ ¢1 was relatively wbl¢ and allowed us to d¢liver all the planned events. We really wanted io explore w.hat we have been livino through in the l&st 9 months and in discussion we came up with the title 'How we lsve next" We developed a detailed plan of ihe fesiival and were able io se¢ure a superb collection of authors and speak-ers io cover our themes for ihe festival. The blend of authors and speak-eTS was a mix of local. national and international which created the opportuniry for the lesiiyal to suptMTrn some very interesiing conversations aboui -"How We Live Next" The theme5 we tocused upon included work. health. Ihe envir0￿ment and social justice. The Tnost ambiiious element of the fe5(i%'al explored "Hom. we live now.. through a Series of six short films about people with varietv of backgrounds connerfed io the topics of ￿.0¥￿. health. the environmenL and social justice. All Ihe people involved Came from Lancaster and Morecambe and the film mak'er was also from Lancaster K¥l&e .McKenzie who is an MA Student at Lancaster University. The fesiival launehed our fjrsi ever Litfesl Big Read with Ihe ambitxort io e people across the northwest in reading two b¢xJks. One wa5 Buy. Evepiwhere by A.M. Dassu for 11-14 l'ears and the other was The MidAighi Library by best-selling author Matt Haig. This il'as an arnbiiious pr()j¢ct io do durtng lockdo￿Tr a5 it was not a5 easy io ¢ogage with sorne of our target audience5 in tenns of %hools. Howev¢r, the authors and thei b￿kS were a huge hit as we orthed the festival with them on the first night. The f¢s¢ival included authors and illuryors frorn across the world which attracted wbstsntial audiences for us. The last weekertd of the festival show¢ased a superb line-up of poett?, eveiis. We also invited people on soctal media to sllbmit their 0￿,n favourite poem one they had ivritten or read for our"Pla¢e> of Poetrv" event. Pag¢ 4 LANCASTER AND DlsTRICI" FESTIVAL LIMITED RF.PORT OF THE TRLSTEES FOR THE YEAR E.NDED 31 MARCH 2021 This linked into the b(K)k of the same name ¢dii¢d by Andrew McRae and intr(NJuced by Paul Farley. who hosted the online reading. The final event again took the forn] of a film. & scrapb(xTrk stowelling event using local voi¢e$ and sceTJery exploring how we have lived ok¢r the last twelvc month5. In addiiion the festival org8nised four wriiets worksho[￿. ¢omrnissioning leading praetitioners Yvonne-Battle-Felton. Karen Lloyd. Kim Moore and Daniel Hahn as WOTkshop leader 0 5UPPOrt ?9 ¢m¢rgining w'riiers in ficiion. poetry, nature and en*ironmeni writing and translation. selected from more than 50 applicants. Thear work will be showcased laterthis month. In order io deliver the fesiii'al, we subm¥tted three bids. One. subtThitted to Old P055UtTr's Practical TrnsL w'as purely for the poety evenis and that was unfortunatel>. unsuccessful. was a first gener41 bid to the Garfield Weston Trnst. However, our third bid to Arts Council England was successful. securing nearlN' £ li.O(X). Thi5 grant supwrted the How We Live Nou,, film project. the "How We Live Next" di%ussion serie& the Litfesi Big Read and the -Ne￿ WrÈling Northwest Workshops" Iti total we delivered an online festival w'ith ?0 ev¢nts. and four workshops of six ?_houi sessions each. We established several ne￿. pamerships including one with RSPB Leightort M055. presentin a jotnt event wtth trje p¢)¢t Paul Farlej and the ￿riter Tim Birkerthead talking aboui how ihey goi started on bird-￿St¢hinS. lliis eveni included nvo competitions for our audiences as well. And. the philosopher A.C. Grayling. who moderated ihe "klokn ￿'e L£ve Nex: panel dis¢u5sion provided a Series of 5 short videos for the Litfest YouTube chalthel on -5 key questions alx)ui democracy" arising from his t#)ok The Good State.. On ihe Principles of Demvcrafj. It is importani to noie thai Nadine Kaadan ￿h0 w.e cornmi55ioned io provide three Yssions of sioryielling and Cfdft making online for our summer programme, has been lisied as one oi thè BBC'S I￿ Women for 20?0. This list consists of inspiring and influential M'omen from around the world. We are very. proud to have w'orked w'ith her this year. Her work is original. drverse and inclusive and for Litfest included a video of her reading one of h¢r chilitren's siories in Ardbit. Festival delivery and Board rn¢e¢ings The board has o￿Tated vinuall}' Ihroughoui ?O?0'21. bill that has noE jltipeded our progress ai all. li has certainly given us useful insights into how we can deliver events differenily in the futurK an(i will provÈd¢ the board with plenty of food for thoughi over the next n¥elve months as we develop our strate&i' and plans. All our board tneetin8s and planning meeiings have taken place online. This has probably enabled us to have more frequent meetings which certainly assisted as the festival was dtveloped and finalised. As previously mettiioned. all our events have alsc been online durino the last Iwclve months. This has certainly increased our reach as our audiences havt noi had to trawel have availed th¢niselves of a frtt festival ond have literally corne from all corners Of the world ￿ well as Lancaster and rbe Su￿out￿d1nlJ region. Ineorne Generation t)urinu the vear w'e have developed the opw)rnAnity lor supporter5 of l.irf￿ to don*e via the websi1¢ This was a hug¢ advantsge TO us during ihe fe51ival as people w'ere asked to daiiat= ￿.d thev did w'iilin4.>'. DL6ring the festival we also ran an online bookshop featuring the authors. illustraiors 2nd wets m.ho appeared ai tthe fesii%'al. Staffing Litfest en]ploys only one member of stsff for 7 hoiws per wttk for odministration purp¢)ses. We also have the support of a freelance accoun￿11. The tundino trom .4ns Council Enn13nd allomed us 10 commission freelance experttse for the period of the fesiiwal i15elf.. a film-mak'er 110 da}'s}. a publscisl { l? da%sj and a project manager l?4 da)'sl. All the 5￿ff are local io Lancaster hich was a greai bonus for u5. Nexi ¥'ear tht board needs to step back from deliveN and be less hands on, and that is our ambition. IW)ilsi we will conttnue io fvlly utilise the knowl¥dge and skills of the t¥)aid. we wani io be in a position to offer more people the oppominiry io work with us in promotin? LirfesL and its aTr.bilious projec￿. now and in the tUTure. Il'e rccognise that to achieve this we need io secure addiitonal funding and therefore will continue to develop our fi￿dIftg strategy and grant applications In the coming in ?0? l_?? Conelusion LEfesl is on an upward curve despiie the pandemic. The TrOiiJl*ieer board h&4 been ¥reaiive. adaptive and successful in a¢quiring addi¢iortal fimding io develop a successful 42 fe51ival. PL￿e 5 LAf*CASTEIi.414D DISTRICT FESTIVAL LIMITED RFPOR"I (Jfr THL TkLSI-EES FOR THF. )"EAR ENIDED 31 IIARCH 2021 We have provided w'ork for local people in Narious roles ro supp01 the organisation and we ar¢ proud we have achieved that outcome. It is importani for tht board ihat thc organisaiiori Wl4'$ 10 4upwft p¢opl¢ in roles such &s administrdt20n. prograTntnc mana(Tement and marketing. Ai the >ame lime. 11 LS our air.tJtll011 io be able through our fesiival and summer programme5 to support authors. illusThtors and speakers who bring to life our pwgramme& We have developed our three-year strdtegy and that has i￿1 d￿JeVant throughout ihe pandemic. We delivered our ?O?Oi?I busine$5 plan and we have ihe opporninity now to learn from lasi years. experieTh¢e to defme what should be retained and iniegraied inio our plans goiig forward. Thi5 Es especially mie of the use of digital platfornis to engage with people not just Lancasier but acr055 the world . We are gratefiLI tor the support we have received from the Cli* CouncÉl and that remains a bedrock for Liifesi. However, we are keen to applN for Lurther grani oppjrtunitirs io suppon ou-, busine%s plon for 20?. On behalf of the board Julie Bell Liifest 2021 I l August 2021 Pasc 6 INDEPENDENT EXAMINERS REPORT TOTHE TXL'STEF.S OF LAI%CASTf.R AND DISTRICT FESTIVAL LI,MITF.D I report on ihe ￿CoUnts of the charithble company for the year end¢d il March 2021, which are set out on pages 8 to 13. Respective respottsibilities of trustees and examiner The trustees (who are also the dire¢tors of the company for the purpose5 of company la￿} r¢sponSLble for the preparation of the accounts in accordance M'ith the requirements of the Companie5 Aa ?(K16 1.the ?(K)6 Aci."). The ehariry's tTustres eonsider that an audit is not required for this year under Part 16 of the ?006 Act and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility io.. examine the accounis under se¢rion 145 of the Charit5es Au. io follow the procedures laid down ID th¢ geneol DirecÈions given by the Ch￿lty Comlnission (under seciion 145(5Xb) of the Charities Acil.. and to State whether panicular marters have come w MY all¢nLjOn. 3asis of independent examiner's report My exatninaiion wa5 carried out in accordance with the genernl Directions given by the CharÈty Comrnission. An examination includes a review. of the accounting recor(is kepi by th¢ ¢harl￿. and a COTnparison of the accounts pr¢s¢nted with those records. It a150 includes ¢onsiderdti¢Jn of an) unusual item5 or di5¢1osures in th¢ aceounts aThd seekin8 explanations from the irusiees concerning any such matter5. The procedures undertaken do not proi'ide all ihe evidence thai %fvould be required in an audit and consequenil* no opinion is given as to whether the accounL< present a-tyue and fair view, and the report is litnited to those matters sei our in the siatemeni below. Independent examither s statement In connection with my exam11￿tiOn. no material matters have come io my atteniion which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respeci.. accounting records were noi kept in accordance with. seciion 386 of the Companies Aa 2(M)6' or the accounts do noi accord with such records- or the accouHts do not comply with relei'ant accounting requirements under section i96 of the Companie5 Act ?006, other than an%. requirement that th¢ accounts give a -rne and fair. view ￿hiCh is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination: or the accounis have not been prepared in accordance with th¢ Clwiiie5 SORP (FRS102). I have no con¢¢rns and have come a¢ross no other matters in conneciion with ihe examination lo whi¢h atteniion should be drdwn in this report in older to enable a prO￿r understanding ofih¢ accounts io be reached. -solete and slow moving items. Taxation The charity is exempi frorn corwration tsx ort its charitable aciivitie& Fund accountlDg Unrestricted fund5 can be used in accordance with the charithble objectives at th¢ discretion of the trustee%. Restricted funds can only be used for particular reStric￿d PUTEN)ses within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when 5pecifLed by the donoT or when funds are raised for particular restricied PUTtM)ses. Further explanation of the nature and purEM)se of each fund is included in the noies to the flnancial ststements. Hire purch&5t #nd leasing etsmmttments Renta15 paid under operdied le&ses are charged to thc statcmcnt of fin#ncia] activitie5 on a strdight line basis ov¢r the period of ihe lease. Deferred Income Transition fi￿ding h&s been deferred io maich the funding to the in which expenditure is expected to occur. ACTIVITIES FORGENERATI.NG FUNDS 2021 2020 Grants Income from Activities Other Income 35849 1556 20075 10700 2065 1316 57480 14081 Page 10 LANCASTER AND DISTRicf FESTIVAL LIMITED NOTES TO THE FlTrqANCIAL STATEMENTS For the Year Ended 31 Marth 2021 INVESTMENT INCOME 2021 2020 Deposit Account Inierest 16 CHARIT ABLE ACTIVITIES COSTS 2021 2020 Human Resources Physi¢al Resources Running Costs Organisational Objeciive 3771 2787 2673 34016 1684 3208 2232 3286 43247 10410 GOVERNANCE COSTS 20?1 2020 Accountancy 1229 947 NET INCOMINGI{OUTGOING) RESOURCES Net resourceg are sthted after charging: 2021 2020 Depreciation- Owned Assets 84 TRUSTEES. REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS During the }'ear ended 31 March 20? l the trusttts have calculated a notional charge for work undeTfaken and have included details within organisaiional objective costs. Pa)Trents on nornial ¢ommer¢ial rernis at an arni's length basis have also been made w a ttustee for seThices supplied. No trJsie¢s remuneration or beneflts were paid during the year ended 31 March ?020. Trustees. Expenses Apart frlun amounts paid ai an arn?'s length transaction &8 detailed aiKJve no Iwstees expenses were paid for the year ended 31 March 202112020 £nil). Pagell LAf4CASTER AND DISTRICT FESTIVAL LIMITED NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS For the Year Ended JI March 2021 STAFF COSTS 2021 2020 Wages and Salaries 3771 1684 T ANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS Fiilures abd Fittings Total COST Ai l April 2020 Additions During the Year 14786 616 14786 616 15402 15402 DEPRECIATION At l April 20?0 Charge for the Year 14451 14451 Ai31 ma￿h2o21 14641 14641 NET BOOK VALUE At 31 March 2021 761 761 At 31 March 2020 335 335 10. DEBTORS: AMouf4TS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR 2021 2020 Trade tkbtors I4￿) 4720 CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLI.NG DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR 2021 2020 Income Received llj Advance Trade Credtiors and Accruals 2250 4794 3325 3325 Page 12 LANCASTER AND DISTRICT FESTIVAL LIMITED NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS For ihe Year Ended 31 Mxrcb 2021 12. MOVEMENTS Ir4 FUNDS N¢t Movement in Fund5 At 114no At 3113121 Unrestrieted Funds General Fund 18452 12346 30798 TOT.4L FUNDS 18452 12346 30798 Net rnovements in funds, in¢luded in the above. are as follows.. Incorning Resourees Resourees Expended Movetnent in Funds Unrestricted Fund5 General Fund 57486 45140 12346 TOTAL FUNDS 57486 45140 12346 Page 13